The studio behind the Disaster Report games, Granzella, is teaming up with Namco Bandai for a unique spin on the series: Surviving Ultraman and kaiju fights. It’s called City Shrouded in Shadow, and I think it’s a brilliant idea. No word yet about a Japanese release date or if this will get a Western release.

Tetsujin 28-go is a Japanese manga and anime about a boy who controls a giant robot. You might know it as Gigantor. It was also released in South Korea, where the gentleman who owns this restaurant fell in love with the cartoon. Bless him.

Stone statues play a prevalent role in Japanese life. You see them at Buddhist Temples and Shinto Shrines, and you also see them in front of houses and businesses or in gardens as decoration. Ditto at cemeteries.

Godzilla and his atomic breath are one of the most recognizable metaphors for the atomic bombings of WWII—and they're also icons of Japanese pop culture. With a steady supply of Kaiju movies, giant monsters nestled themselves comfortably in video games, creating a huge library of monster mayhem-based titles. We have…

In years past, you'd always see them outside convenience stores and in parking lots, coping a squat next to their Subarus and Hondas, smoking cigarettes. They were tough looking. They were thugs. And they'd sit like they're squeezing out turds.

Earlier this month in Tokyo, Bandai showed off some of its latest figurines. Iconic characters were recreated in sculpted plastic. Many of the figures were aimed at older collectors, and one set in particular depicted stood out: the crucifixion of the Ultramen.

Across Japan, it's harvest time. In September, the rice turns a golden hue. The color—my favorite—is koganeiro (黄金色). Scarecrows stand watch over the rice fields. Most scarecrows in Japan are rather pedestrian—what you'd think a scarecrow would and should look like.

Look. At. That. Japan is getting a giant Gundam box. Previously, there was only concept art, but the actual thing was recently showed at the Chara Hobby figure event outside Tokyo. That wasn't the only thing on display.

A Chinese cook is the brains behind these noodle-slicing robots. Japanese superhero Ultraman inspired the appearance, but necessity inspired the concept: last year, the cook needed help slicing the Northern Chinese dish "knife cut noodles" and created a robot friend to pitch in.

One of the ways Hello Kitty stays relevant is to turn itself into a feline billboard to promote other things. Recently, that's meant the birth of an array of interesting Kitty-chan collaborations—like a Hello Kitty X Ringu tie-up that was used to promote the horror series' latest spin-off.

It's a period of time in nearly every Japanese boy's life. Sometime before preschool starts and shortly after it ends, kids become enamored with Ultraman. Some never outgrow their fascination with the towering superhero who flies to earth to kick monster butt.